Source: United States Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)
Funding will enable a second Community Outpost (COP) House to facilitate community policing and increase community interaction on St. Cloud’s East Side
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) announced that she has secured $475,000 in federal funding to help improve public safety in St. Cloud. Specifically, this funding will help enable the construction of a second Community Outpost (COP) House to facilitate community policing and increase community interaction on St. Cloud’s East Side. In addition to housing police, this COP House would provide office space for nutritional assistance services, healthcare agencies, and ambulance services.
“The St. Cloud Community Outpost House has provided a national model for how effective community policing can bolster public safety and foster positive police-community interactions,” said Klobuchar. “This funding will enable a second COP House to continue improving public safety and quality of life, making a real difference for people living in St. Cloud’s East Side. I am proud to have worked with leaders in St. Cloud to secure these resources.”
“The COP House has been key to helping build relationships and a safer healthier neighborhood here in St. Cloud. This funding will allow us to bring the proven benefits of the Community Outpost House to bolster the quality of life in another neighborhood here in our city. Thank you to Senator Klobuchar for championing this important project,” said St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis.
In 2017, the St. Cloud Police Department established its first Community Outpost (COP) House in South St. Cloud to bolster public safety and facilitate community policing. Since its establishment, the St. Cloud COP House has helped provide medical treatment and access to federal assistance for the neighborhood, while improving police-community relations. In 2018, the St. Cloud COPS House received the U.S. Department of Justice’s L. Anthony Sutin Civic Imagination Award.
Klobuchar has been actively involved in securing this federal funding for projects benefiting communities in Minnesota through a process called “Congressionally Directed Spending” (CDS). Throughout the CDS process, Klobuchar has considered project proposals and advocated for funding in close coordination with leaders from across Minnesota.
Projects are expected to receive funding over the next several months.
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